On Thursday 23 Dec 2010 2:26:22 pm Nikhil Mehra wrote: > In America, in > contrast, the treatment of Islam represents a rejection of the founding > principles and a degeneration of past relations. > To me this is a thought provoking statement because I have been wondering about visible reactions in various parts of the world to terrorism using Islam as a crutch/motivator. (aka Islamic terrorism)
The French have done what I see as an absurd reaction against the visible identification marks of Islam - like female headgear. Femals covering up is not a problem and uncovering Muslim women will not prevent terrorism in the name of Islam. In fact the west in general appeared to me to be falling for a tactic that Islamists excel in using - and that is setting up strawmen to be knocked down that can be used to provoke an "islam in danger" sentiment. Hijabs, Burqas atitudes to sex, pork and alcohol are strawmen that are highlighted to cause outrage in western societies. Reacting against these pinpricks only strengthens the hands of those who wish to unite people under the "islam in danger" banner. But of late I have been wondering if there are deeper reasons for the peculiar reaction to Islam from western politicians. It occurs to me that the entire western democratic political set-up exists in a secular environment that was created by the poltical defeat of the Church. The church of yore promoted beliefs that would not be alien to the average Islamist. For a western politcian who has made his life in this secular environment, bending to the demands of Islam under the guise of "religious freedom" could wake up an old, dormant and perhaps even more deadly adversary - the Christian right wing. Islam and Christianity are very similar. Modern western democracies have been built on the ruins of Christian empires. Those Christian empires will seek to re-create thesmelves if Islam is allowed to have a free run - so the secular western politician has two enemies, - the church and islam. Not just islam. shiv
